Three militants killed in Anantnag gunfight

A file photo of Army jawans taing position during an encounter at Anantnag district, in south Kashmir. Representational image

Three militants holed up inside a house in Awoora village, Anantnag, have been killed, the Army said on Monday.

“Three AK 47 rifles were recovered,” said the Srinagar-based Army spokesman.

Loud explosions were heard near the encounter site on Sunday night, nine hours after security forces trapped the militants.

The exchange of fire lasted for more than two hours at Awoora village, situated near tourist spot Pahalgam, sources said.

In the gunfight that broke out after 3 p.m. on Sunday, loud explosions were reported around 11 p.m. It is not clear who detonated these explosives.

The three local Hizb-ul-Mujahideen militants, trapped inside the single-storey house that is nestled near a forest area, started firing on Army personnel on Sunday afternoon.

One of the militants, according to several online news portals, called up a family member and claimed he may not be able to break the cordon as “they are surrounded from all sides”. However, there is no official confirmation of this conversation.

A police official said locals clashed with security forces in a bid to help the trapped militant to break the cordon. However, tear smoke shells were used in parts of Anantnag and near the encounter site to disperse protesters hurling stones.

Weather is slowing down the operation for time being. The meteorological department has predicted a fresh snowfall in the next 24 hours, which may force the security agencies to speed up the operation.